Directions

For the shells:

Into a bowl sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. With your fingers, work the wine gradually into the dry ingredients to form a stiff dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. With a cutter, cut out rounds 5-inches in diameter. In batches, as necessary, wrap each round onto a cannoli mold, sealing the edges with egg white.

In a deep saute pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

Fry the cannoli in batches until just golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels, let cool, then gently slip the molds from the cannoli. (Note: Shells can be made 3 days in advance and kept at room temperature in an airtight container.)

For the filling:

In a mixing bowl whip the cream. Fold in the ricotta with a rubber spatula, working until creamy. Fold in the sugar, nut liqueur, and dates.

Place 1 cannoli shell on a flat surface. Working from either end, fill the cannoli with the ricotta filling (using a pastry bag, if desired), pressing gently to ensure that the middle is filled. Dip both ends in the melted chocolate, then into the pistachios and place on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cannoli, and serve.